Khustup mountain / Syuniq / Armenia

This massif is located in Syunik Province, 9 km southwest of the city of Kapan. The right tributaries of the Voghji River (Geghanush and Vachagan) emerge from the southeastern slope of Mount Khustup, and the left tributary of the Tsav River (Shishkert) emerges on the southwestern slope. The mountain is richly covered with alpine meadow vegetation and the northeastern slopes are wooded. The mountain is composed of a chalk volcanic rock and a sedimentary subsurface of porphyrite, marlstone and limestone. In winter, the weather here is particularly stormy. The slopes are fragmented, and include features such as scars and caves. Snowmelt on the mountain gives rise to hundreds of springs and rivulets, from which the Vachagan River originates.

Khustup is viewed as a sacred mountain, so it is no wonder that people have referred to it as a sanctuary. According to etymological studies, the name of the mountain is based on the root khutu, which means “prayer” in the Indo-Iranian Khuri language. This is hardly surprising, given the long history of the mountain as a focus of prayer and a site of pilgrimage.

Since time immemorial, there has been a sacred spring near the summit of Mount Khustup, and the Armenian water festival of Vardavar – originally a celebration of the Goddess Astghik – was once celebrated at the spring with rich ceremony. To this day, people living in the regions that surround Mount Khustup make an annual pilgrimage to the mountain to celebrate Vardavar at the sacred spring.